Howie Kendrick - Will he ever put it all together?

[ballerskrip]

As alot of you know, I love the Angels and have my history with them. Howie was one of my favorites back in 2004.

He has looked TERRIBLE tonight. Nothing like the "future batting champ" that the BMB crew touted him over and over to be.

What are your thoughts? Will he ever reach the .330 AVG that many predicted for him? OR will he continue to be so inconsistent?

If you have a HUGE stash and you are going to comment, please note that.

skrip

 

[ThoseBackPages]

i hope he does.

one of my favorite all time pictures on a baseball card is his '04 TT

 

[P_Manning 18]

Another in the long line of highly touted Angels prospects the boards go goo goo and gaa gaa over.... because they have cards of them and want to sell.... and get other board member to purchase them.

Dallas McPherson

Casey Kotchman

Brandon Wood

Howie Kendrick

 

[NECpilgrims8]

Another in the long line of highly touted Angels prospects the boards go goo goo and gaa gaa over.... because they have cards of them and want to sell.... and get other board member to purchase them.

Dallas McPherson

Casey Kotchman

Brandon Wood

Howie Kendrick

I voted yes, and not only because I was an original Kendrick investor (I still have some). Howie has all the talent to be a batting title contender for years, no matter how he looked tonight.

Skrip, I am not sure why you are jumping the gun over, what was essentially his first night back in action.

Now, I could pull up all the numbers, but it's really late. If anyone thinks he is another "overrated" angels prospect because the board members hyped him up, then they are crazy.

Give Howie a full season and I bet you open your eyes.

 

[MTBright]

I think he we pan out. Can not look at what he has done in the last two days because he is just back and all the angels look awlful, they look like they have been beat since the beginning. the luck has been all boston's way. For some reason the angels just look flat. Except for tex. they need to resign him.

 

[ballerskrip]

Adam,

I am not jumping the gun, just asking people's thoughts. I was one of the first Kendrick investors also. I bought him in 2004 during spring training and was paying $5 for this pristine gold refractors. I liked everything about him and got to know him pretty well that year.

I have been very disapointed in Howie the last two years and am starting to wonder if he will ever be the player I once thought he would be. I know some of the numbers are in his favor, but he can't stay healthy and just hasn't gotten over the hump yet.

skrip

 

[Halonut]

once howie steers clear of the dl, he will be a .320+ hitter w/ gap power. it's a tribute to his talent that he has had multiple extended dl trips the last 2 years and has still managed to keep his avg above .300

 

[smapdi]

You just have to keep in mind that most prospectors never actually see these players until they reach the majors, and lack the knowledge to evaluate a player based on what they might see if they do go to minor league games. Most prospectors look at low-level league stats out of context, read projections of experts who also probably never actually saw them play for an extended period and are wrong more than weathermen, and form an emotional attachment to their cards and to the dollars they imagine they'll make off them someday. I know, I'm one of them. But many prospectors can't separate the objects of their attachments. One should invest asking,'Can I sell this for more than I buy it?' and not,'Will this guy will become a star/batting and/or home run champ/Albert Pujols/Tom Seaver?' The two questions are very different and the answers don't always go together. Beckett's hyperbole and 'analysis' doesn't help, either.

A MLB regular at 25, there's no reason to believe Howie Kendrick won't become a solid, maybe even All-Star level player in the next few years. Other than average, his OPS in the majors so far are right around league average, but indicate a problem of selectivity. He barely walks. He doesn't strike out excessively, consistently once every 5.5 ABs or so, but for a 2B with average power that should be lower. And according to espn.com, he saw only 3.44 pitches per PA this year (his personal high), which if he played the whole season would make him 5th from the bottom in that category. So he swings at everything but manages to make contact much of the time. If he can learn to take another pitch or two, he'd have that many more chances to see a pitch he can drive and not just reach, and probably strike out less. Being on the same team as Vlad, has always swung at anything (3.19 pitches per PA for his career) and is going to the Hall, is probably a bad influence.

 

[ballerskrip]

You just have to keep in mind that most prospectors never actually see these players until they reach the majors, and lack the knowledge to evaluate a player based on what they might see if they do go to minor league games. Most prospectors look at low-level league stats out of context, read projections of experts who also probably never actually saw them play for an extended period and are wrong more than weathermen, and form an emotional attachment to their cards and to the dollars they imagine they'll make off them someday. I know, I'm one of them. But many prospectors can't separate the objects of their attachments. One should invest asking,'Can I sell this for more than I buy it?' and not,'Will this guy will become a star/batting and/or home run champ/Albert Pujols/Tom Seaver?' The two questions are very different and the answers don't always go together. Beckett's hyperbole and 'analysis' doesn't help, either.

.

I agree with almost every bit of this..... There are many of us that believe in players based solely on scouting reports and other's opinions. NOT seeing them in person and making a true judgement based on what our eyes and brains tell us. I have never understood how people can throw $1000's into a player that they have NEVER seen play....
I personally was watched Howie for 5 weeks in 2004 at spring training. I had the pleasure of driving him to and from the minor league camp to big league camp twice and got to pick his brain and get to know him. I loved everything I saw. I am dispointed in the results so far, and still have some belief in him. I just wish he could stay healthy and show us all what I saw back in 2004.

I have my fingers crossed that the talent shines through.

skrip

 

[KC37]

As soon as I stop drafting him in fantasy leagues, he'll be fine.